1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to communication technologies such as electronic mail (e-mail), voice mail, and facsimile (fax) mail messaging. Particularly, the present invention relates to systems for seamlessly integrating communications to facilitate access to electronic mail, voice mail, and fax mail messages via multiple single access points.
2. Description of the Related Art
Communications technology today allows individuals to send messages to one another from virtually any location in the world at virtually any time of day. The variety of communication modes (e.g., telephone, computer) and communication media (e.g., e-mail, voice mail, fax mail) available today allows individuals to choose one appropriate for the circumstances. For example, a sales representative in London who needs to contact a home office in Boston may choose to call the home office at 8:00 AM local time knowing that no one will be in the office to answer the call, but that voice mail is available so a message may be left for the appropriate party. Alternatively, the sales representative may choose to send e-mail to the appropriate party.
In general, message senders today may select from a variety of communication media while message receivers are limited to the option selected by the message sender. If the sender uses the telephone to leave a voice mail message, the message receiver is required use a telephone to retrieve the voice mail message. If the sender uses a computer to send an e-mail message, the message receiver is required to use a computer to retrieve the e-mail message. In the voice mail example, it may be the case that, on the particular day the voice mail message was left, the intended receiver has access to a computer terminal and modem, but does not have access to a telephone to retrieve the voice mail message. In the e-mail example, on the day that the e-mail was sent, the intended receiver may have access to a telephone, but may not have access to a computer terminal and modem to read the e-mail message. In both instances, the message receiver may be unable to retrieve the message because the available communication mode may not be used to retrieve the message. Furthermore, even if the message receiver has access to a telephone, a computer, or some other communication device, the receiver may prefer using one device over the others. For example, the receiver may spend most of his working day on a computer and may therefore, prefer to retrieve all of his inbound messages—regardless of the originating communication medium—using his computer.
The inability to alter the message medium after a message has been sent (or to use a communication mode other than the one selected by the sender) unnecessarily burdens both message senders and message receivers. Senders and receivers may be required to select a medium prior to communicating so the parties are assured the communication will be received in a timely manner. If circumstances for the receiver change at any point following selection of the medium and the receiver is unable to notify the sender of the change, the receiver may risk missing the sender's communication because the message may not be accessible using an alternate communication mode. In addition, the inability of a message receiver to retrieve all inbound messages using a single communication mode or device results in additional burdens. Receivers are inconvenienced when they are required to switch, for example, between the telephone to retrieve voice mail messages and the computer to retrieve e-mail messages.
Technologies have been introduced that address the inconveniences imposed by widespread use of different messaging media. For example, Text-To-Speech (TTS) technology allows written messages to be heard by a message receiver. However, message receivers are generally required to integrate this technology into their own customized telecommunications/computer environments. Messages in differing media (e.g., e-mail, voice mail, fax mail) have not been seamlessly integrated into a single, universal mailbox with capabilities for same-media and cross-media notification and responses.